Train-pipe coupling.



W. C. WHITE.

TRAIN PIPE COUPLING.

APPLICATION FILED JULYZ, 1912. RENEWED JUNE 9.1915.

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WALTER 0. WHITE, OF LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNOR T0 INTERNATIONAL COUPLERS COMPANY, OF LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, A CORPORATION OF CALI- FOR-NIA.

TRAIN-PIPE COUPLING.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 25, 1915.

Application filed July 2, 1912, Serial No. 707,386. Renewed June 9, 1915. Serial No. 33,204.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WALTER C. IVHITE, citizen of the United States, residing at Los Angeles, in the county of Los Angeles and State of California, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Train- Pipe Couplings, of which the following 1s a specification.

This invention relates to automatic trainpipe couplings of that type which employs the oressure of the air within the train-pipe to hold the coupler heads in engagement and more particularly to couplings of the character disclosed in an application for patent filed by me June 25, 1912, Serial No. 705,818. In this type of couplings, the coupler head is constructed with a chamber having lateral ports to register with similar ports on an opposed head and has a guide arm adapted to enter between upper and lower laterally extending guides of an opposed head, so that the heads will be brought into proper alinement as they come together. A. cylinder is also formed at the back of the coupler head and a piston is provided within this cylinder against which the air expands so as to exert pressure upon the opposed heads and guide arms on the same to hold the heads in proper engagement. In my aforesaid application, a cylinder is provided'in the SIdG Of the coupler head, and within the said cyhnder, which communicates with the passage conveying the air to the lateral ports, is mounted a piston having a projection extending beyond the side of the coupler head to be engaged by the guiding arm of the opposed head so that the pressure of the air against said piston will serve to hold the two coupler heads laterally together and prevent their accidental separation. In my present invention, I reduce the size of that portion of the coupler head containing the lateral ports and the passages leading thereto so as to reduce the weight of the head and also arrange the'parts, so that, while I obtain the benefit of the lateral pressure of air against the opposed heads, there are no projections 0n the side of the head which in any way tend to resist the longitudinalmovement of the heads in coming together and thereby tend to twist the parts so that they become inoperative. 7

In the accompanying drawing, I have shown a central horizontal section of two coupler heads constructed in accordance with my present invention and showing the same in coupled relation.

In'my present invention, the coupler head consists of a casting having a cylinder 1 formed at its rear end centrally thereof, the forward end of said cylinder being open and provided with an internal annular shoulder 2. From the said cylinder the forward portion of the coupler head is defiected to one side to provide the reduced body 3 having lateral ports 4 therein and an internal air space 5 leading directly to the said ports.

While the drawing shows only one port 4, it is to be understood that a plurality of these ports are provided in the inner face of the body 3, said ports corresponding to the several train-pipes and the inner face of the body in which the ports are located being straight and vertical and located substantially in the medial longitudinal line of the cylinder 1. The port illustrated is that corresponding to the pipes forming a part of the car brake system, while a port corresponding to the signal pipes will be disposed above the illustrated port, and the steam pipes for heating the cars will have ports located below the illustrated ports.

Disposed laterally with respect to the body 3 and spaced from the inner face of the same is a guide arm 6 which projects laterally from the cylinder 1, as shown at 7 and the forward portion of the said guide arm is tapered to enter between upper and lower flanges or guide plates 8 extending from the body of the opposed coupler head. The inner portion of the guide arm 6 is connected with the body 8 of the coupler head by an irregular shaped web 9 which extends trans versely of the guiding arm in advance of the front end of the cylinder 1, as indicated at 10, and also longitudinally of the head, as shown at 11, to form the inner wall of the main body of the head. In advance of the transverse portion 10 of this web, the guide arm is bored to provide a cylinder 12, and one end of the said cylinder opens through the inner side of the guide arm, as shown at 13. The outer end of the cylinder 12 is closed by a cap 14: which is threaded into the side of the guide'arm and is provided with sockets or depressions 15 adapted to be engaged by a wrench or other convenient tool to be turned home in the cylinder or withdrawn therefrom, as'will'be readily understood. A

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piston 16 is provided within the cylinder 12 and is equipped with a projection or lug 17 adapted to extend through the opening 13 to bear against the outer side of the body 3 of an opposed coupling head, and a passage 18 is provided at the rear end of the cylinder around the end of the portion 10 of the web to constitute a means of communication between the. cylinder 1 and the cyl' der 12. 1

v The front end of the body 3 of the coupler head and the intermediate portion of the web 9 are correspondingly beveled, so that, as the coupler heads come together, they will be' given a lateral movement which will cause the ports 4 to move sidewise into registry and cause the elastic gaskets 19 fitted around the vsaid ports to impinge against each other to form a fluid-tight joint between the heads around the ports. It will be noted that the portion of the web 9 between the transverse portion 10 and the longitudinally extending portion 11 is carried obliquely, with respect to the longitudinal axis of the coupler head, toward the rear cylinder and then obliquely from said cylinder and the extremity of the coupler body is likewise given a double inclination or bevel, so that, when a coupler body engages the web of an opposed head, the two heads will be moved laterally so as to bring the ports into perfect alinement. Moreover, this movement is effected smoothly and without excessive wear upon any of the corners of the coupling head .so that damage to the opposed couplers in the act of coupling is minimized. The inner walls of the guiding arms and the outer surfaces of the coupler head bodies are given -a similar inclination so that the desired lateral movement will be positively and effectually obtained. The outer rear end of the cylinder 1 is closed by a cap 20 and a portion of the train-pipe plays through the said cap to constitute a. hollow piston rod 21 having the piston 22 on its inner end. An

annular shoulder 23 is provided around the hollow piston rod or train-pipe section adapted to impinge against the hanger (notv shown), so that the said hanger will serve as an abutment in the operation of the device.

When the coupler heads are being brought together, the air is cut off so that the pistons 16 may move outwardly in the cylinders 12 when the projections 17 are engaged by the forward ends of the opposed coupler head bodies. The beveled surfaces of the opposed heads will cause the heads to move laterally to a 'sutlicient extent to bring the ports in the inner faces of the heads together and sli htly compress the gaskets, as will be readily understood. The air being then turned on will pass through the pipe section or hollow piston rod 21 and will flow through the air chambers in the heads and through the several ports until arrested by the angle cocks of an adjoining car or at the end of the train. The air willthenexpand against the pistons 22 and flow around into the cylinders 12 and against the pistons 16 so that the said pistons 22 will be moved rearwardly and the pistons 16 inwardly. The outward or rearward movement of the pistons 22 will be arrested by the shoulders or abutments 23 coming into contact with the hangers which support the couplers, and the pressure of the air will then be exerted to move the coupler heads longitudinally from the said pistons 22 so as to effectually resist any tendency of the heads to uncouple longitudinally. The pressure of the air upon the pistons 16 will be transmitted through the said pistons and the projections 17 there on against the outer walls of the opposed coupler heads so that sufiicient pressure will be exerted thereon to holdthe heads laterally together and compress'the gaskets 19 so that the escape of fluid between the heads will be prevented. As the heads are thus held together both laterally and 'longitudinally accidental uncoupling will be positively prevented.

It will be readily noted from the drawing, taken in connection with the foregoing description, that my present invention reduces the number of parts to a minimum and leaves no projection on the outer wall of a coupler head, so that, when the heads are uncoupled, passing blows which may reach the heads will not afiect any :of the working parts and disarrange or damage the same. The body of the coupler head need be only large enough to accommodate the passages conveying the fluid to the ports in the side of the body, so that the weight of the body is appreciably reduced from former construc tions without decreasing the stability-or durability of the device. The piston 16 in the transversely disposed cylinder 12 acts on the body of an opposed coupler head so as to efiect a tight joint for the transmission of air or other fluid without preliminary or auxiliary assistance and automatically adjusts itself regardless of the Wear of the parts.

What I claim is 1. A train-pipe coupling comprising a coupler head having a port in its inner side, a longitudinally disposed cylinder at its rear end communicating with said port, a guide arm spaced laterally from the said port and containing a tranverse cylinder, a piston in said transverse cylinder adapted to be engaged by the body of an opposed coupler head, a piston in the longitudinal rear cylinder, and a passage leading from said longitudinal rear cylinder to the transverse cylinder in the guide arm whereby the pressure fluid may expand between and against the two pistons to hold the heads in engagement and pass through the ports of the engaged heads.

2. A train-pipe coupling comprising a coupler head having a longitudinal fluidpressure cylinder in its rear end, a body and a guiding arm extending forwardly from the said cylinder and spaced apart laterally, the body being provided with ports in its side facing the guiding arm, a piston working longitudinally in said cylinder and means for transmitting fluid pressure from said piston transversely through the guiding arm against the side of an opposed coupler head entering between said arm and the said body.

3. A train-pipe coupling comprising a coupler head having its outer surface inclined forwardly toward the central longitudinal line of the head and provided with a port in its inner wall, a guiding arm spaced laterally from the said body and connected with the said body by an integral transverse web, the inner surface of said arm being in clined rearwardly toward the central longitudinal line of the head whereby the engagementof the body and the guide arm of opposed heads will efi'ect lateral movement of t 1e heads, a. longitudinally disposed cylinder formed at the rear end of the head, a transversely disposed cylinder formed in the guiding arm, means for conveying air from the said longitudinal cylinder through the body of the head and the port therein to an Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the opposed coupler head, a piston slidably fitted in the transverse cylinder and having a projection adapted to extend through the inner end thereof to impinge against an op posed coupler head, a piston in said longitudinal cylinder and means for conveying air from the said longitudinal cylinder in advance of the piston therein into the transverse cylinder at the outer side of the piston therein.

e. A train-pipe coupling comprising a coupler head having a forwardly extending body and a forwardly extending guide arm spaced laterally from the said body, the space between the body and the guide arm being adapted to receive the forwardly projecting body of an opposed coupler head, a floating piston mounted transversely in the guide arm, a longitudinally disposed cylinder in the rear end of the coupler head, a hollow piston in said longitudinally disposed cylinder, and passages leading from said cylinder to the outer side of the floating piston and to ports located in the inner side of the body whereby pressure fluid may pass through opposed coupler heads and also act upon the floating piston to prevent lateral displacement of the coupler heads.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

l/VALTER G. WHITE. [11. s.]

Witnesses SIsLnY PETERSON, GRAcn Pn'rERsoN.

Commissioner of IPatents.

Washington, D. C. 

